U.S. patent number 4,995,479 [Application Number 07/319,308] was granted by the patent office on 1991-02-26 for display guide apparatus of elevator and its display method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hitachi, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Osamu Dohi, Michio Fujiwara, Yasushi Kobayashi, Hiroshi Matsumaru, Akihiko Noguchi, Yoshio Sakai, Kenzi Yoneda.
United States Patent |
4,995,479 |
Fujiwara , et al. |
February 26, 1991 |
Display guide apparatus of elevator and its display method
Abstract
The present invention relates to a display guide apparatus of
elevator facilitating alteration of display format and to its
display method. A display guide apparatus according to the present
invention comprises an elevator control unit, an information
producing unit, and an information display control unit. The
information display control unit is so configured that an auxiliary
memory medium, which has stored therein information required for
displaying the running information of the elevator, may be mounted
thereon. At least information required for displaying the running
information of the elevator is supplied from the auxiliary memory
medium. Information required for displaying general information is
supplied from the information producing unit. On the basis of
information relating to the running situation of the elevator
supplied from the elevator contorl unit, the running information of
the elevator and the general information are displayed by display
units disposed at least at halls to perform guidance.
Inventors: |
Fujiwara; Michio (Katsuta,
JP), Matsumaru; Hiroshi (Katsuta, JP),
Kobayashi; Yasushi (Yokohama, JP), Sakai; Yoshio
(Ibaraki, JP), Yoneda; Kenzi (Katsuta, JP),
Dohi; Osamu (Katsuta, JP), Noguchi; Akihiko
(Katsuta, JP) |
Assignee: |
Hitachi, Ltd. (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
26394247 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/319,308 |
Filed: |
March 6, 1989 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 9, 1988 [JP] |
|
|
63-53539 |
Apr 25, 1988 [JP] |
|
|
63-100351 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
187/397; 187/396;
379/93.17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B66B
3/008 (20130101); B66B 3/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B66B
3/00 (20060101); B66B 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;187/130,133,135,136,137,139 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pellinen; A. D.
Assistant Examiner: Duncanson, Jr.; W. E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Antonelli, Terry, Stout &
Kraus
Claims
We claim:
1. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information production unit and an information
display control unit, said elevator display guide apparatus
displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to a running situation of the elevator, wherein:
the information display control unit is so configured that an
auxiliary memory medium storing information required to display the
running information of the elevator may be mounted thereon;
the information display control unit derives information required
to display the running information of the elevator from said
auxiliary memory medium;
the information display control unit derives information required
to display general information from the information production
unit; and
the running information of the elevator and general information are
displayed on display units at least disposed in halls according to
information relating to the running situation of the elevator
derived from the elevator control unit.
2. An elevator display guide apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the auxiliary memory medium comprises one of an IC card, a
floppy disk and a compact disk.
3. An elevator display guide apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the auxiliary memory medium stores therein display data,
display picture edit data and file data as information required to
display the running information of an elevator, and the information
display control unit selects information to be displayed out of a
table disposed in the information display control unit to store
information relating to the running situation of the elevator
derived from the elevator control unit and a file derived from said
auxiliary memory medium.
4. An elevator display guide apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the information display control unit includes data input
and output means for taking out information required to display the
running situation of an elevator as stored in the auxiliary memory
medium.
5. An elevator display guide apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the information display control unit has a voice
synthesizing unit and is so configured that an auxiliary memory
medium storing data required to broadcast voices may be mounted
thereon, and said display unit has a speaker and outputs voices in
synchronism with a guidance display.
6. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information production unit and an information
display control unit, said elevator display guide apparatus
displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on a display unit at least disposed in halls according
to a running situation of the elevator, wherein:
the information display control unit is so configured that an
auxiliary memory medium storing information required to display the
running information of the elevator in a digital code form may be
mounted thereon;
the information display control unit derives information required
to display the running information of the elevator from said
auxiliary memory medium;
the information display control unit derives digital-coded
information required to display general information from the
information production unit; and
the running information of the elevator and general information are
displayed on display units at least disposed in halls according to
information relating to the running situation of the elevator
supplied from the elevator control unit.
7. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information production unit and an information
display control unit, said elevator display guide apparatus
displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to a running situation of the elevator, wherein:
said information display control unit derives information required
to display at least the running information of an elevator and
represented in a digital signal form from an auxiliary memory
medium and deriving information required to display general
information and represented in a digital signal form from the
information production unit;
said information display control unit selects digital signals
relating to information to be displayed out of information thus
derived, and transmits the digital signals thus selected to a
display unit to store the digital signals therein;
said information display control unit stores digital signals for a
display command in its own memory and issues a command for making
the display unit display the running information of the elevator
and general information according to a situation of the elevator
running supplied from the elevator control unit; and
the display unit receives said command, takes out digital signals
corresponding to said command from digital signals relating to
information transmitted beforehand to be displayed, and produces a
predetermined display.
8. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information production unit and an information
display control unit, said elevator display guide apparatus
displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to a running situation of the elevator, wherein:
said information display control unit derives information required
to display at least the running information of an elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium as digital codes and derives information
required to display general information from the information
production unit as digital codes;
said information display control unit selects digital codes
relating to information to be displayed out of information thus
derived, transmits the digital codes to a display unit, and stores
the digital codes derived from the auxiliary memory medium and the
digital code derived from the information production unit
separately into a memory of the display unit;
said information display control unit stores digital codes for
issuing a display command derived from the auxiliary memory medium
and digital codes for issuing a display command derived from the
information production unit separately into its own memory;
said information display control unit issues a command for making
the display unit display the running information of the elevator
and general information according to information relating to a
running situation of the elevator derived from the elevator control
unit; and
the display unit takes out digital codes corresponding to said
command, on the basis of said command, from digital signals
relating to information supplied beforehand to be displayed and
stored in the memory, and produces a predetermined display on the
basis of digital codes thus taken out.
9. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information production unit and an information
display control unit, said elevator display guide apparatus
displaying running information of elevator and general information
on display units at least disposed in respective halls according to
running situation of elevator, wherein:
the information display control unit is so configured that an
auxiliary memory medium storing information required to display the
running information of an elevator may be mounted thereon;
the information display control unit derives information required
to display the running information of the elevator from said
auxiliary memory medium;
the information display control unit derives information required
to display general information from the information production
unit;
the information display control unit successively selects a display
unit out of a plurality of display units at least disposed in
halls; and
the display unit thus selected displays the running information of
the elevator and general information according to information
relating to the running situation of the elevator derived from the
elevator control unit.
10. An elevator display guide apparatus comprising an elevator
control unit, an information display control apparatus and a
display unit, said elevator display guide apparatus displaying
information on the display unit according to a running situation of
the elevator, wherein:
the information display control unit is provided with an auxiliary
memory medium which is detachably provided on the information
control unit for storing information required to be displayed;
the information display control unit includes means for
transmitting information required for display from the auxiliary
memory medium to the display unit according to information relating
to the running situation of the elevator as derived from the
elevator control unit; and
the display unit displays the information received from said
auxiliary memory medium to perform guidance display.
11. An elevator display guide apparatus according to claim 10,
wherein the display control unit is so configured that an auxiliary
memory medium storing voice data may be mounted thereon, and a
display unit has a speaker and outputs voices in synchronism with a
guidance display.
12. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information display control unit, said
elevator display guide apparatus displaying running information of
elevator and general information on display units at least disposed
in halls according to running situation of an elevator,
comprising:
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display the running information of the elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium mounted on the information display control
unit;
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display general information from the information production
unit; and
the running information of the elevator and general information
being displayed on display units at least disposed in halls
according to information relating to the running situation of the
elevator derived from the elevator control unit.
13. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus according
to claim 12, wherein the auxiliary memory medium comprises one of
an IC card, a floppy disk and a compact disk.
14. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus according
to claim 12, wherein the auxiliary memory medium stores therein
display data, display picture edit data and file data as
information required to display the running information of an
elevator, and the information display control unit selects
information to be displayed out of a table disposed in the
information display control unit to store information relating to
the running situation of the elevator derived from the elevator
control unit and a file derived from said auxiliary memory
medium.
15. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus according
to claim 12, wherein the information display control unit includes
data input and output means for taking out information required to
display the running situation of the elevator stored in the
auxiliary memory medium.
16. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus according
to claim 12, wherein the information display control unit derives
data required to broadcast voices from a second auxiliary memory
medium mounted thereon, makes display units at least disposed in
halls display the running information of elevator and general
information according to information relating to the running
situation of elevator derived from the elevator control unit, and
broadcasts voices through speakers disposed in the display units in
synchronism said display.
17. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information production unit and an
information display control unit, said elevator display guide
apparatus displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to running situation of the elevator, comprising:
said information display control unit deriving information required
to display the running information of the elevator and represented
in a digital signal form from an auxiliary memory medium mounted
thereon and deriving information required to display general
information and represented in a signal form from the information
production unit;
the running information of the elevator and general information
being displayed on display units at least disposed in halls
according to information relating to the running situation of the
elevator derived from the elevator control unit.
18. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information production unit and an
information display control unit, said elevator display guide
apparatus displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to running situation of the elevator, comprising:
said information display control unit deriving information required
to display at least the running information of the elevator and
represented in a digital signal form from an auxiliary memory
medium and deriving information required to display general
information and represented in a digital signal form from the
information production unit;
said information display control unit selecting digital signals
relating to information to be displayed out of information thus
derived, and transmitting the digital signals thus selected to a
display unit to store the digital signals therein;
said information display control unit storing digital signals for
issuing a display command in its own memory and issuing a command
for making the display unit display the running information of the
elevator and general information according to situation of the
elevator running supplied from the elevator control unit; and
the display unit receiving said command, taking out digital signals
corresponding to said command from digital signals relating to
information transmitted beforehand to be displayed, and performing
predetermined display.
19. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information production unit and an
information display control unit, said elevator display guide
apparatus displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in halls according
to running situation of the elevator, comprising:
said information display control unit deriving information required
to display at least the running information of the elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium as digital codes and deriving information
required to display general information from the information
production unit as digital codes;
said information display control unit selecting digital codes
relating to information to be displayed out of information thus
derived, transmitting the digital codes to a display unit, and
storing the digital codes derived from the auxiliary memory medium
and the digital code derived from the information production unit
separately into a memory of the display unit;
said information display control unit storing digital codes for
issuing a display command derived from the auxiliary memory medium
and digital codes for issuing a display command derived from the
information production unit separately into its own memory;
said information display control unit issuing a command for making
the display unit display the running information of the elevator
and general information according to information relating to
running situation of elevator derived from the elevator control
unit; and
the display unit taking out digital codes corresponding to said
command, on the basis of said command, from digital signals
relating to information supplied beforehand to be displayed and
stored in the memory, and producing a predetermined display on the
basis of digital codes thus taken out.
20. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information production unit and an
information display control unit, said elevator display guide
apparatus displaying running information of an elevator and general
information on display units at least disposed in respective halls
according to running situation of the elevator, comprising:
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display the running information of the elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium mounted thereon;
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display general information from the information production
unit;
the information display control unit successively selecting a
display unit out of a plurality of display units at least disposed
in halls; and
the display unit thus selected displaying the running information
of the elevator and general information according to information
relating to the running situation of the elevator derived from the
elevator control unit.
21. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information display control unit, said
elevator display guide apparatus displaying running information of
an elevator and general information on display units at least
disposed in halls according to running situation of the elevator,
comprising:
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display the running information of the elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium mounted on the information display control
unit;
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display general information from the information production
unit; and
general information being displayed on display units at least
disposed in halls in accordance with predetermined schedule in case
information relating to running situation of the elevator is not
available from the elevator control unit.
22. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information display control unit, said
elevator display guide apparatus displaying running information of
an elevator and general information on display units at least
disposed in halls according to running situation of the elevator,
comprising:
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display the running information of the elevator from an
auxiliary memory medium mounted on the information display control
unit;
the information display control unit deriving information required
to display general information from the information production
unit; and
the information display control unit making display units at least
disposed in halls display the running information of the elevator
and general information in the order of priority supplied to the
information and according to information relating to running
situation of the elevator derived from the elevator control
unit.
23. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus including
an elevator control unit, an information display control unit, and
a display unit, said information display control unit displaying
information on the display unit according to information relating
to running situation of an elevator derived from the elevator
control unit, comprising:
said information display control unit deriving information required
for display from an auxiliary memory medium which is detachably
mounted thereon; and
said information display control unit issuing a display command to
the display unit on the basis of information relating to a running
situation of the elevator derived from the elevator control
unit.
24. A display method for elevator display guide apparatus according
to claim 23, wherein said information display control unit derives
information required for broadcasting voices from an auxiliary
memory medium mounted thereon, and issues a command for outputting
voices through a speaker disposed in the display unit in
synchronism with display.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display guide apparatus for an
elevator, and in particular to an elevator display guide apparatus
facilitating alteration of display format at halls and the like on
the basis of the desire of a passenger or the like, and its display
method.
Various proposals have been made to display not only the running
information of the elevator but also general information such as
guidance of various events performed in the building in which the
elevator is installed and a weather forecast to passengers using
the elevator by means of characters, figures and picture patterns
using dot images.
In the prior art, an information production unit such as a personal
computer is installed in a management room of the elevator, and
information required for display is produced by the information
production unit and transmitted to display units installed in halls
or the like to be displayed there. JP-A-60-16781, JP-A-61-136887,
and JP-A-62-196283 relate to the prior art apparatus.
If a passenger makes a complaint that the display format of
characters, figures and picture patterns displayed on the display
unit is not suitable to the place where the display has been
installed, information required for display must be remade by the
information production unit.
Since it takes a long time to produce information required for
display, it is rather difficult to deal with complaints made by
passengers or the like. In particular, the tendency is strengthened
as the displayed contents are diversified.
In the above described JP-A-61-136887, alteration of the display
information is not mentioned at all.
On the other hand, alteration of display information is explained
in the above described JP-A-60-167871 and JP-A-62-196283. In the
JP-A-60-167871 and JP-A-62-196283, display information is altered
by an input unit or a modification unit corresponding to the above
described information production unit, and rapid alteration of
figures and picture patterns is impossible.
Further, since figures and picture patterns are displayed by means
of dot images, a large number of signals are needed to display
them. Since those signals are transmitted to perform display, it is
impossible to alter figures and picture patterns at high speed
during the display. Display conforming to the running of the
elevator is not sufficiently attained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a display guide
method and apparatus for an elevator which facilitates alteration
of the display format.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a display
guide method and apparatus for an elevator which produces a
suitable display even if the building has a number of floors.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a display
guide apparatus and method for an elevator in which the display can
follow the running of the elevator even if the running of the
elevator is intense.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a display
guide method and apparatus for an elevator capable of performing
display according to the running of the elevator even if the
display format comprises complex picture patterns.
In order to achieve the above described objects, an elevator
display guide apparatus according to the present invention
comprises an elevator control unit, an information production unit,
and an information display control unit, the information display
control unit being so configured that an auxiliary memory medium
storing information required to display running information of an
elevator may be mounted thereon, the information display control
unit deriving at least the running information of the elevator from
the auxiliary memory medium and deriving information required to
display general information from the information production unit,
and the running information of the elevator and general information
being displayed on display units at least disposed in halls
according to information relating to the running situation of the
elevator supplied from the elevator control unit.
In the auxiliary memory medium, information required to display the
running information of the elevator is stored beforehand in various
display formats. By replacing the auxiliary memory medium,
therefore, the display format appearing on the display units is
easily altered.
By preparing a large number of auxiliary memory media, it becomes
possible to rapidly respond to various requests.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a display
guide apparatus according to the present invention.
FIGS. 2 to 4 show configuration examples of an information display
control unit, an IC card and a display unit used in the display
guide apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 shows an example of configuration of display data used in
the display guide apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a diagram used for explaining a display panel of the
display unit shown in FIG. 4.
FIGS. 7A and 7B show an example of figure data used in the display
guide apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 8 to 10 show an example of relationship among characters,
figures and registration numbers displayed by the display unit of
FIG. 4.
FIG. 11 shows an example of configuration of display picture
edition data used in the display guide apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 12 shows an example of configuration of one screen shown on
the display unit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 13 shows an example of configuration of schedule data used in
the display guide apparatus of FIG. 1.
FIG. 14 shows display flow of the display guide apparatus shown in
FIG. 1.
FIGS. 15 to 20 show relations between various tables used in the
display guide apparatus of FIG. 1 and files.
FIGS. 21A to 21C show one example of alteration of characters and
figures displayed by the display unit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 22 shows relationship between table and file for deriving the
example of display alteration shown in FIGS. 21A to 21C.
FIGS. 23A to 23C show variations of characters and figures
displayed by the display unit of FIG. 4.
FIG. 24 shows an example of precedence judgment flow in case where
the order of priority is given to information to be displayed.
FIGS. 25 and 26 are circuit diagrams showing another embodiment of
a display guide apparatus whereby voices are broadcast in
synchronism with display of characters, picture patterns and the
like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by
referring to FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a management room, in which a personal
computer 2 is installed as an information production unit. In the
personal computer 2, information required to display general
information which will be described later is produced. Numeral 3
denotes a PBX line, which is connected to a distributor 5 installed
in a machine room 4 and the personal computer 2.
Elevator cages 8 and 9 are installed in elevator hoistways 6 and 7
of a building, respectively. Running of the elevator cages 8 and 9
is controlled by elevator control units 10 and 11, respectively.
When a passenger depresses any one of hall call buttons 12 to 17
located at halls F.sub.n to F.sub.n+2, the cage 8 or 9 is served by
the elevator control unit 10 or 11. In the machine room 4,
information display control units 18 and 19 are installed for the
cages 8 and 9, respectively. The information display control units
18 and 19 are respectively connected to the elevator control units
10 and 11 to take in information relating to the situation of
running of the cages 8 and 9 from the control units 10 and 11,
respectively. Information required to display general information
produced by the personal computer 2 is supplied to the information
display control units 18 and 19 via the PBX line 3 and the
distributor 5. The information display control units 18 and 19 have
IC card readers 20 and 21, respectively. The information display
units 18 and 19 are so constructed that IC cards 22 and 23 may be
mounted thereon and removed therefrom as auxiliary memory media,
respectively. As described later, information required to display
the situation of running of the cages 8 and 9 is stored on the IC
cards 22 and 23, respectively.
At upper parts of elevator gates of the halls F.sub.n to F.sub.n+2,
display units 24 to 29 are installed. Within the cages 8 and 9 as
well, display units 30 and 31 are installed. For the cages 8 and 9,
display units 24 to 26 and 30, and display units 27 to 29 and 31
are respectively connected to the information display control units
18 and 19 via cables or the like.
For convenience of explanation, only two elevator cages 8 and 9 are
shown. However, more elevator cages may be used. In case group
control is performed, microprocessors for group control are
connected to the elevator control units 10 and 11,
respectively.
Instead of the distributor 5 of FIG. 1, telephones for transmitting
and receiving signal data, i.e., so-called hybrid phones may be
disposed between the personal computer 2 and the PBX line 3 and
between the PBX line 3 and the information display control units 18
and 19, respectively.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the information display control
units 18 and 19. Since both of them have identical configuration,
they are represented by a block denoted by numeral 1800.
The information display control unit 1800 comprises boards 1801 and
1802. The board 1801 is connected to the personal computer 2, the
elevator control unit 10 and the display unit 24 via interfaces
1803 to 1805, respectively. A bus 1806 is connected to interfaces
1803 to 1805 via data transmission sections 1807 to 1809. An MPU
1809 and a memory 1810 are connected to the bus 1806. A data
transmission section 1811 is connected to the bus 1806. Further, an
interface 1812 is connected to the data transmission section 1811
to perform information transmission with the board 1802. The board
1802 constitutes the IC card reader of FIG. 1. The IC card 22 is
coupled to a bus 1814 via a connector 1813.
An MPU 1815 and a memory 1816 are connected to the bus 1814. The
bus 1814 is connected to the board 1801 successively via a data
transmission section 1817 and an interface 1818.
As described later in detail, the board 1801 takes in information
required for display from the personal computer 2, the elevator
control unit 10, and the IC card 22 mounted on the board 1802, and
transmits the information to the display unit 24 and the like to
display the information.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration of the IC cards 22 and 23. Both of
them have identical configuration. A representative one denoted by
numeral 2200 will now be described.
The IC card 2200 has a memory 2201 and a connector 2202. Between
the memory 2201 and the connector 2202, a data bus 2203, an address
bus 2204 and a decoder bus 2205 are disposed. A decoder 2206 is
disposed on the decoder bus 2205. The decoder 2206 is connected to
power supply 2207.
Data inputs and outputs of the IC card 2200 will be described
later.
FIG. 4 shows the display units 24 to 31 as numeral 2400.
A bus 2402 is connected to the information display control unit 18
via an interface 2401 and a data transmission section 2402. An MPU
2404, a memory 2405, a Chinese character ROM 2406 and a display
panel 2407 are connected to the bus 2403. Chinese characters,
alphameric characters and kanas (Japanese syllabaries) of the first
and second levels of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) are stored
beforehand in the Chinese character ROM 2406 in the coded form. The
display panel 2407 comprises 3 (longitudinal).times.10 (lateral)
display modules, i.e., 30 display modules in total. Each display
module comprises 16 (longitudinal).times.16 (lateral) red light
emission diodes (LEDs) and 16 (longitudinal).times.16 (lateral)
green LEDs.
It is possible to display one character on one display module and
display two characters on one display module (i.e., to perform half
angle specification). In displaying figures and picture patterns,
one display module comprising 16 (longitudinal).times.16 (lateral)
LEDs is assumed to have dots (i.e., red and green LEDs) arranged in
16 longitudinal columns. Dots in the longitudinal direction are
divided into 4 sections each having 4 dots, and an LED lighted in
each section is represented by a hexadecimal number. And
hexadecimal numbers are arranged in the order advancing from an
upper section to a lower section. All of the 16 columns are thus
coded. Since two LEDs comprising a red LED and a green LED are
present in each dot, both of those LEDs are coded. By controlling
the turning on and off of the red and green LEDs, figures and
picture patterns are displayed with four kinds of colors comprising
red, orange, green and ground colors.
Information required for display will now be described. General
information and running information of the elevator are generated
in an identical format and displayed. For some display contents,
general information is produced by the personal computer 2
immediately before display. Unlike the general information, the
running information of the elevator is stored beforehand in the IC
cards 22 and 23. However, the running information of the elevator
is also generated beforehand by the personal computer or the like
before being stored in the IC cards 22 and 23.
General information includes general-purpose information, common
information and emergency information. General-purpose information
is information specific to the building in which the elevator is
installed. The general-purpose information does not change with
time and includes event guidance for the building such as the
theme, place, day and time of a conference and the menu of a dining
hall. Common information is information which is common to
buildings and which changes with time such as a weather forecast
and news broadcast through a radio or a television set. Emergency
information is information conveyed when it has become impossible
to use the elevator and relates to occurrence of an accident such
as an earthquake or a fire and display guidance in case of
trouble.
Running information of the elevator is information representing the
current situation of running of the elevator cage such as the
degree of congestion of passengers within the cage, waiting time,
current position and the direction of running.
These information pieces are supplied with picture numbers every
picture displayed on the display panel 2407. Orders of priority are
supplied to picture numbers. As an example, higher orders of
priority are supplied to information in the order of emergency
information, running information of the elevator, common
information, and general-purpose information. If picture numbers 1
to 20, 21 to 40, 41 to 50 and 51 to 60 are respectively assigned to
general-purpose information, common information, running
information of the elevator and emergency information, for example,
confusion is not caused when information is changed.
These information pieces may be displayed by characters or may be
displayed by figures and picture patterns. Further, characters,
figures and picture patterns may be simultaneously displayed.
The format of information required for display will now be
described.
Information required for display comprises display data, display
picture edit data, schedule data and a file.
All of these pieces of information are converted into digital codes
beforehand.
These information pieces will now be described individually.
First of all, display data relate to contents to be displayed and
are supplied with a registration number every displayed
content.
As shown in FIG. 5, one display datum comprises registration
specification, a registration number, a picture size datum, and a
display contents datum.
Registration specification clearly indicates whether contents to be
displayed are characters or figures.
When LEDs of the display panel 2407 of the display unit 2400 shown
in FIG. 4 are represented by dots in X and Y directions as shown in
FIG. 6, the screen size datum specifies a screen size by means of
the number of dots XL in the X direction and the number of stages
YL. For character data, 8.ltoreq.XL.ltoreq.160 and YL=1, 2, 3,
whereas for figure data, 1.ltoreq.XL.ltoreq.160 and YL=1, 2, 3.
The display contents datum comprises a character datum or a figure
datum. As described before, the character datum comprises character
codes specifying Chinese characters, alphametric characters and
kanas (Japanese Syllabaries) of the first and second levels of JIS.
The character datum comprises a character command. The character
command is placed at the top of the specifying character code to
specify the character class as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1
__________________________________________________________________________
CHARACTER COMMAND CODE FUNCTION
__________________________________________________________________________
COLOR RED COLOR IS SPECIFIED. SPECIFICATION RED COLOR CAN BE
SPECIFIED WHILE TAKING CHARACTER AS UNIT. GREEN COLOR IS SPECIFIED.
GREEN COLOR CAN BE SPECIFIED WHILE TAKING CHARACTER AS UNIT. ORANGE
COLOR IS SPECIFIED. ORANGE COLOR CAN BE SPECIFIED WHILE TAKING
CHARACTER AS UNIT. HALF ANGLE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS BECOME
SPECIFICATION HALF ANGLE. ALPHAMETRIC CHARACTERS AND SPACES CAN BE
SPECIFIED AS HALF ANGLES. FOLLOWING CHARACTERS ARE RESTORED TO FULL
ANGLES INVERSION FOLLOWING CHARACTERS BECOME SPECIFICATION SKIP
CHARACTERS. FOLLOWING CHARACTERS ARE RESTORED TO NORMAL. FLICKER
SPECIFICATION BLANK BLANK IS INSERTED BETWEEN SPECIFICATION STRINGS
OF CHARACTERS. IN CASE OF HALF ANGLE, BLANK OF HALF ANGLE IS
CAUSED.
__________________________________________________________________________
In the Table 1, column of code is left blank because it can be
arbitrarily specified.
In case characters are displayed, a command display datum is
further produced as occasion demands.
A command display datum comprises a scroll display datum and a
flicker display datum.
The scroll display datum specifies that characters should be
scrolled in the registered picture size and a specified composition
should be displayed. Codes are defined as shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2 ______________________________________ COMMAND CODE
FUNCTION ______________________________________ SCROLL LEFT: SCROLL
- CHARACTERS DIRECTION IN THE VALUE CONVERTED SPECIFI- INTO FULL
ANGLE. CATION RIGHT: " UP: " DOWN: " MIDDLE SPLIT SPECI- FICATION
SPEED SCROLL SPEED IS DEFINED TO SPECIFI- BE 80 DOTS/SECOND. 8
KINDS CATION ARE PROVIDED. SCROLL TOP START OF SCROLL SPECIFI-
INFORMATION CATION STRING IS INDICATED. SCROLL END END OF SCROLL
INFORMATION SPECIFI- STRING IS INDICATED. CATION TEMPORARY
TEMPORARY STOP OF SCROLL STOP AND ITS TIME ARE SPECIFIED. MAXIMUM
VALUE IS DEFINED TO BE 99 SECONDS. SCROLL REPETITION SPECIFI-
CATION ______________________________________
The flicker display datum specifies that characters within the
registered picture size should be lighted and extinguished by a
command shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3 ______________________________________ COMMAND CODE
FUNCTION ______________________________________ LIGHTING LIGHTING
TIME: AND TO EXTINGUISHING SECONDS TIMING EXTINGUISHING TIME: TO
SPECIFICATION TO SECONDS LIGHTING CHARACTERS ARE LIGHTED AND AND
EXTINGUISHED FOR A EXTINGUISHING SPECIFIED TIME. MAXIMUM TIME TIME
IS 99 SECONDS. SPECIFICATION LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING TIMING IS
MADE EQUIVALENT TO LIGHTING AND EXTINGUISHING DISPLAY.
______________________________________
In the tables 2 and 3, code columns are left blank because they can
be specified arbitrarily.
As described before, the figure datum for displaying the picture
pattern is derived by representing dots of 16 longitudinal columns
with a hexadecimal number every 4 dots in the longitudinal
direction to encode red and green LEDs.
FIGS. 7A and 7B show examples of display contents data obtained
when characters and figures (picture pattern) are to be displayed,
respectively.
FIGS. 8 to 10 show examples of relations between the registration
numbers and displayed characters/figures.
In FIG. 8, the position of the cage is displayed by means of
characters. In FIG. 9, the degree of congestion of passengers
within the cage is displayed by a figure. In FIG. 10, the running
direction of the cage and the position of the cage are displayed by
a figure. Since these change moment by moment depending upon the
running situation of the elevator, various characters and figures
are prepared to respond to the change, and each of them is supplied
with a registration number.
Further, display data of basic registration numbers used for
registration numbers constituting display picture editing data
which will be described later are produced. Basic registration
numbers are 40, 10 and 20 respectively shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and
10.
The display screen edit data will now be described.
As described before, each of the pictures displayed on the display
panel 2407 is supplied with a picture number. And the number of
characters or figures displayed in one picture, i.e. the number of
registrations is defined by the number of registration numbers of
displayed characters or figures. Coordinates X and Y of a start
point of display of each of display data registered in one picture
are defined. With reference to FIG. 6, the start point is
represented as 1.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.153, Y=1, 17, 33 in case of
characteristic data. In case of figure data, the start point is
represented as 1.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.160, Y=1, 17, 33.
When the running information of the elevator is displayed, a basic
registration number is used as the registration number. Because
contents to be displayed are changed, i.e., the registration number
is replaced in response to the situation of running of the elevator
cage.
FIG. 11 shows an example of configuration of display picture edit
data.
Registration specification shown in FIG. 11 is a code for clearly
indicating that the datum is a display screen edit datum.
Assuming that the display of picture number 10 comprises 4 display
data (registration numbers 2, 5, 40, 50), FIG. 12 shows the
situation of assignment of information displayed on the display
panel 2407, i.e., the situation of picture edit.
A schedule datum will now be described. The schedule datum
specifies the order of display, display time and the number of
repetition times of display with respect to display of
general-purpose information and common information by using the
picture number of each of the above described display picture edit
data. A registration number before alteration and a registration
number after alteration are added to each picture number be
altered. A registration number presence/absence flag for indicating
whether the picture number is that for which the registration
number alteration should be performed is also provided. A schedule
datum is produced for each of the display units 24 to 31. As shown
in FIG. 13, a schedule datum comprises a schedule administration
table and a schedule picture table. In the schedule administration
table, a flag is established for a schedule being displayed.
Lastly, files will now be described.
The situation of elevator running transmitted from the elevator
control units 10 and 11 toward the information display control
units 18 and 19 is temporarily sent to the information display
control units 18 and 19 and then stored in a hall call floor table,
a cage position table, a waiting time table, a cage running
direction table, a signal sensing table, a cage congestion degree
table and the like included in memories of the units 18 and 19.
Files serve to convert these situations of running into forms which
can be displayed as running information. A display unit number
file, a picture number file, a registration number alteration file,
a direction file, a waiting time file, a cage congestion degree
file, a time picture retrieval file, a priority judgment file are
provided.
Relations between the tables and files will be described later in
the explanation of display.
The above described various files, display data such as figure data
which are difficult to make hastily by the personal computer 2,
display data which have a form fixed to some degree and which can
be used commonly by buildings or data displaying the situation of
elevator running, display picture edit data relating to these
display data, and schedule data are stored into the IC cards 22 and
23 beforehand.
Data displaying the situation of the elevator running are stored
beforehand on the IC cards by reason that when it is attempted to
produce data hastily in the personal computer 2 upon a request of
alteration of the display format effective data might be destroyed
because of confusion. That is to say, it is easy to produce data
calmly beforehand and store the data into the memory of the IC
card. The display format can be altered by only replacing the IC
card without destroying data. It is thus possible to obtain clear
display conforming to the situation of elevator running.
Assuming that a composition is written from left to right like
English, display on the display panel 2407 looks well by defining
the order of display on the arranged display modules as from the
leftmost top end to the rightmost top end, from the leftmost middle
end to the rightmost middle end, and from the leftmost bottom end
to the rightmost bottom end, for example, and arranging data
belonging to each of the above described picture numbers as well in
such order.
The flow of display will now be described roughly by referring to
FIG. 14.
First of all, information (data) required for display is produced
by the personal computer 2 of FIG. 1 at step 1. On the other hand,
information required for display is produced by a personal computer
which is not illustrated in FIG. 1 and is stored onto the IC cards
22 and 23 at step la as well. Data are then transmitted from the
personal computer 2 and the IC cards 22 and 23 to the information
display control units 18 and 19 at step 2. The information display
units 18 and 19 store a part of the data thus transmitted into
their own memories at step 3 and transmit the remaining part of the
data to the display units 24 to 31 to store it therein at step 4.
The above described steps 2 to 4 are repeatedly performed depending
upon buffer capacities of the memories of the information display
control units 18 and 19. (Details will be described later.) At step
5, the information display control units 18 and 19 issue display
commands to the display units 24 to 31. On the basis of the
commands, the display units 24 to 31 perform display individually
at step 6.
Relationship between the information display control units 18 and
19 and display units 24 to 31 will now be described.
The function and operation of the information display control units
18 and 19 will now be described. The function of the information
display control units 18 and 19 is roughly divided into acquiring
information required for display from the personal computer 2 and
the IC cards 22 and 23, memorizing a part of the information thus
acquired, transferring the remaining part of the information to the
display units 24 to 31 to store the remaining part into memories of
the display units 24 to 31 (data input and output control), and
performing guidance display required for the display units 24 to 31
on the basis of the above described information required for
display and information relating to the situation of elevator
running supplied from the elevator control units 10 and 11
(guidance display control).
First of all, the data input and output control of the IC cards 22
and 23 (steps 2 to 4 of FIG. 13) will now be described by referring
to FIGS. 2 and 3.
When the IC card 22 is inserted into the connector 1813, buses 2203
to 2205 of the IC card 2200 are connected to the bus 1814 on the
board 1802 via the connectors 2202 and 1813. By using the control
program stored in the memory 1816, the MPU 1815 sends a signal
indicating data readout and a signal specifying a large number of
ROMs of the memory 2201 of the IC card 2200 to the decoder 2206.
Thereupon, the decoder 2206 brings the specified RAMs into the read
state. Addresses of the specified RAMs are transmitted via the
address bus 2204 and a read start address is specified. And data at
the specified addresses of the specified RAMs are transmitted to
the board 1801 via the data transmission sections 1817 and 1811 as
well as the interfaces 1818 and 1812. The memory 1810 of the board
1801 comprises a buffer section and a registration section. The MPU
1809 temporarily stores the transmitted data into the buffer
section. When the buffer section becomes full, the MPU 1809 divides
the data stored in the buffer section into data to be transferred
to the registration section and data to be transmitted to the
memory 2405 of the display unit 2400 and make respective data
stored in the registration section and memory 2405. When the buffer
section becomes empty, data supplied from the board 1802 are stored
into the buffer section again. When this operation is repeated and
readout and transmission of display data are completed, the display
picture edit data and the schedule data file are successively read,
stored and transmitted.
Information (data) required for display and produced by the
personal computer 2 is read into the buffer section of the memory
1810 via the interface 1803 and the data transmission section 1807
by the MPU 1809. By processing similar to that of data supplied
from the IC card 22, the information pieces (data) thus read into
the buffer section of the memory 1810 are divided into data to be
stored into the registration section and data to be sent to the
display unit 2400. All data are thus read, stored and
transmitted.
Replacing the IC cards 22 and 23 causes only the result that data
of new IC cards are stored into addresses of memories whereat data
of old IC cards were stored. In this case, data inputted from the
personal computer 2 are not erased at all.
Therefore, data inputted from the IC cards 21 and 23 can be freely
replaced in accordance with the opinion of passengers and the like.
It is a matter of course that data inputted from the IC card are
not erased when data supplied from the personal computer 2 are
altered. Therefore, data can be altered freely from the personal
computer 2 as well.
Data stored into the registration section of the memory 1810 of the
board 1801 are schedule data and file data. Data stored in the
memory of the display unit 2400 are display data and display
picture edit data. The registration number in the display data and
the picture number in the display picture edit data are contents of
the file data and are stored into the registration section of the
memory 1810.
That is to say, data stored in the memory 1810 of the information
display control unit 1800 are used to issue display commands. Data
stored in the memory 2405 of the display unit 2400 relates to
displayed information. This means that when the information display
control unit 1800 issues display commands to the display units, the
display units deduce and display contents to be displayed on the
basis of the commands. When display is performed, data transmitted
from the information display control unit to the display units are
minimized so as to quickly respond to the situation of running of
the elevator cage.
Even when it is desired to display a complex figure or picture
pattern, it is not necessary to transmit a large amount of data at
all because only a combination of displays is transmitted instead
of transmitting data of the figure or picture pattern itself. It is
thus possible to display the figure or picture pattern quickly
according to the movement of the elevator cage.
The operation and function of the display units 24 to 31 which have
received display commands from the information display control
units 18 and 19 will now be described.
In FIG. 4, the MPU 2404 stores display data and display picture
edit data transmitted from the information display control unit 18
via the interface 2401 and the data transmission section 2402 into
the memory 2405.
When a display command is transmitted from the information display
control unit 18 together with specification of a certain picture
number, the MPU 2404 senses this display command and searches that
picture number out of display edit data in the memory 2405.
Further, the MPU 2404 takes out the registration number of display
data constituting the picture of that picture number and its start
point data out of the display picture edit data.
If a registration number alteration command is already issued, the
registration number before alteration taken out is converted into a
registration number after alteration. The MPU 2404 then takes out
the picture size data and display contents data of respective
registration numbers taken out from display data stored in the
memory 2405. Lastly, the MPU 2404 displays those display contents
data on the display panel 2407 with a picture size represented by
the picture size data beginning from a start point represented by
the start point data.
The display units 24 to 26, 30, 27 to 29 and 31 are respectively
connected to the information display control units 18 and 19 in
parallel via cables. As described later, therefore, a command
issued by the information display control units 18 and 19 is
supplied with a coded display unit number in order to clarify which
display unit is the destination of the display command. Therefore,
the MPU 2404 of each display unit looks at that code and takes in
data only when the MPU 2404 judges that the code relates to
itself.
The display operation of the information display control units 18
and 19 as well as the display units 24 to 31 relating to the
situation of running of the elevator cages 8 and 9 will now be
described.
When the storage of the information (data) required for display has
been completed, the MPUs 1809 of the information display control
units 18 and 19 performs the schedule display of general-purpose
information and common information.
Therefore, the schedule display of general-purpose information and
common information will now be described.
The MPU 1809 of the information display control unit 1800 takes out
the display time and the picture number of the order 1 of the
schedule data of the display unit 2400 of the first floor from the
schedule data shown in FIG. 13 and included in the memory 1810. And
"1" is set in the on-display flag. When the registration number
presence/absence flag is not hoisted, the MPU 1809 issues such a
command as to display the display datum of that picture number to
the display unit of the first floor. When the registration number
presence/absence flag is hoisted, the MPU 1809 sends such a command
as to display the display datum of that picture number and such a
command as to alter the current registration number of the display
datum of that picture number into a registration number after
alteration to the display unit of the first floor. In the same way,
such commands as to display the first one of the schedule data are
successively issued to display units of higher floors such as the
second floor and then the third floor.
Whenever the display time of the order 1 of each display unit of
the schedule data read out has elapsed thereafter, the picture
number and the display time of the next order are read, and display
commands are issued to the display units of respective floors in
accordance with processing similar to that of the display command
of the order 1. If display orders are issued at the same time,
however, respective display units are supplied with priority
orders, and the display order is issued earlier to a display unit
having a higher priority.
When the end of the schedule data has been read, the column
specifying the number of repetitions of the schedule data is seen,
and such a directive as to display data by returning to the
beginning of the schedule data by the number of repetitions is
issued.
How to issue a display command in case a call button is depressed
at a hall of a certain floor will now be described.
The hall call information generated by depression of any one of the
call buttons 12 to 17 is temporarily transmitted to the elevator
control unit 10 or 11, and then conveyed to the information display
control unit 18 or 19. As well known, the elevator control unit 10
or 11 dispatches the elevator cage 8 or 9 to the hall where call is
generated on the basis of depression of the call buttons 12 to
17.
In the hall call floor table included in the memory 1810 of the
information display control unit 1800, a flag 1 is hoisted on the
called floor as shown in FIG. 15.
Succeedingly, a display unit number corresponding to the floor
having a flag hoisted in the hall call floor table is taken out
from the display unit number file included in the memory 1810.
Thereupon a display unit whereto a display command should be issued
is defined. Further, a picture number corresponding to the floor
having a flag set in the hall call floor table is taken out from
the picture number retrieval file included in the memory 1810 as
shown in FIG. 16.
By the operation heretofore described, the number of the picture to
be used for the display unit 2400 of the floor (hall) where the
hall call is generated is defined.
Assuming that the display of the cage position, display of the
running direction, display of the waiting time and display of
congestion degree in the cage are contained in the specified
picture, these displays will now be described.
First of all, display of the cage position will be described. In
the cage position table contained in the memory 1809 of the
information display control unit 1800, a flag is hoisted on the
floor where the cage is positioned on the basis of the current
position information of the cage obtained from the elevator control
unit 10 as shown in FIG. 17. From the registration number
alteration file contained in the memory 1809, the registration
number after alteration and the registration number before
alteration corresponding to the floor having a flag hoisted in the
cage position table are taken out. Since the alteration is
performed for the first time, the registration number before
alteration is the basic registration number which was used when the
display picture edit data were produced. Out of some registration
numbers belonging to the picture number already taken out, a
registration number relating to the display of the cage position is
looked for, and a command directing the use of the above described
registration number after alteration is issued. And a command
directing the display of the above described picture number is
issued. These commands are issued to a display unit having the
display unit number taken out beforehand. It display units of all
floors relating to the called cage should display data, commands
are issued successively to those display units in the order of
descending priorities supplied to the display units.
Whenever the position of the elevator cage changes, a flag is
hoisted on the corresponding floor of the cage position table, and
other flags are erased. By using the above described processing, a
command using a registration number after alteration is issued.
In each display unit, display data corresponding to the
registration number are read out from the memory 2405 on the basis
of the above described command, and guidance display is performed
from the display panel 2407.
Display of the running direction will now be described.
On the basis of the information of the elevator cage derived from
the elevator control unit 10, a flag is hoisted in correspondence
to the running direction in the running direction table contained
in the memory 1810 as shown in FIG. 18. From the direction file of
the memory 1810, the registration number after alteration and the
registration number before alteration of the current elevator
direction are taken out. The registration number relating to the
direction of running contained in the picture number taken out
beforehand is taken out, and a command for altering the
registration number to a registration number after alteration is
issued. Whenever the running direction of the elevator changes, the
above described processing is performed. On the basis of the
alteration command, the display unit 2400 displays the running
direction.
Display of waiting timing will now be described.
On the basis of the waiting time information of the elevator
derived from the elevator control unit 10, waiting time is written
into each floor of the hall waiting time table relating to the
display unit number called beforehand and contained in the memory
1810 as shown in FIG. 19. From the waiting time file, the
registration number after alteration and the registration number
before alteration corresponding to the floor for which the waiting
time is written are taken out. With respect to the registration
number relating to the waiting time contained in the picture number
taken out beforehand, a command using the registration number after
alteration is issued. And such a command as to display the data of
the picture number already taken out is issued. On the basis of the
above described commands, the display unit performs display
relating to the waiting time. In the above described processing,
the hall waiting time table is rewritten and display on the display
unit is altered whenever the elevator cage moves and the waiting
time changes.
Lastly, the degree of congestion in the cage will now be
described.
A cage congestion degree table is contained in the memory 1810. On
the basis of the information supplied from the elevator control
unit 10, the degree of congestion in the cage is written in the
form of a total load of passengers in the cage, for example.
A cage congestion file is contained in the memory 1810. The
registration number after alteration and the registration number
before alteration of the current degree of congestion in the cage
are taken out from the cage congestion file. With respect to the
registration number for the cage congestion contained in the
picture number already taken out, a command directing the use of
the registration number after alteration is issued. And a command
directing the display with the above described picture number is
issued to the display unit.
Combination of general-purpose information and common information
with the running information of the elevator will now be
described.
It is now assumed that the picture configuration as shown in FIGS.
21A to 21C is desired. Under the situation that there is some
waiting time since a call button is depressed at a hall until the
cage arrives at the hall, only the guidance display of the running
direction and guidance of general-purpose information are performed
as shown in FIG. 21A. When the elevator cage is near arrival, all
of the running information is displayed as shown in FIG. 21B. When
the cage has arrived at the hall where the call was generated, the
running information of the elevator and general-purpose information
are displayed as shown in FIG. 21C. The above described picture
configuration is attained by taking out the picture number at each
time from the time picture number retrieval file by means of the
hall call floor table and the hall waiting time table and
transmitting the picture number thus taken out to the display unit.
In FIG. 21, A.sub.1 denotes a region indicating the running
direction of the cage, and A.sub.2 denotes a region representing
general-purpose information or running information. Further,
A.sub.3 denotes a region indicating the degree of congestion in the
cage. Characters enclosed with parentheses are scroll-displayed
contents.
Even when it is desired to display respective information pieces
separately, it becomes possible to perform display according to the
waiting time, i.e., according to the position of the cage by
altering the registration number of the display data corresponding
to each picture number as shown in FIG. 22. An example thereof is
shown in FIG. 23. FIG. 23A shows the case where the waiting time is
t.sub.1 or longer. FIG. 23B shows the case where the waiting time
is not longer than t.sub.1 and not shorter than t.sub.2. And FIG.
23C shows the case where the waiting time is not longer than
t.sub.2 and not shorter than t.sub.3.
FIG. 24 shows a display flow based upon priority judgment.
On the basis of a signal inputted from the elevator control unit
10, the MPU 1809 of the information display control unit 1800
hoists a flag on a signal sense table contained in the memory 1810.
When the input is not present, a flag is hoisted at the position of
input absence. When a flag is hoisted at the position of input
absence, the picture number indicating the general-purpose
information and common information and the display time are taken
out from the schedule administration table and the schedule picture
table as described before and sent to the priority judgment file.
In this case, only the picture number of the general-purpose
information and common information is transmitted. The picture
number is transmitted to the display unit as it is.
In case the input supplied from the elevator control unit 10 is a
hall call, the display unit number of the hall floor where a call
is generated is taken out from the hall call floor table and the
display unit number file as described before. Further, the picture
number for the waiting time is taken out from the hall floor table,
the hall waiting time table and the time picture number retrieval
file as described before and is transmitted to the priority
judgment file. In the priority judgment file, the picture number
now on display is compared with the transmitted picture number. A
picture number having a higher priority is selected and sent to the
display unit. When a picture number having a high priority is
transmitted, therefore, the picture on the display unit is altered.
When a picture number having a low priority is transmitted,
however, the displayed picture is not altered because the picture
number is not altered by the priority judgment file.
When the display of the general-purpose information and common
information based upon the schedule data is transferred to the
display of the running information, a flag is hoisted at a position
corresponding to the picture number now on display in the
on-display flag column of the schedule administration table. When
the display of the running information is completed and the display
of the general-purpose information and common information is
restored, display is continued from the picture number of the flag
hoisted beforehand.
When an emergency situation occurs, a flag is hoisted at the
emergency position of the signal sense file on the basis of the
information supplied from the elevator control unit 10. Thereupon,
the picture number of display relating to the emergency situation
is taken out from the picture number retrieval file and transmitted
to the priority judgment file. Since the emergency situation has
the highest priority, that picture number is taken out in the
priority judgment file and transmitted to the display unit.
Occurrence of the emergency situation is displayed by all of the
display units relating to one cage. Therefore, the MPU 1809
transmits the picture number of emergency information to the
display units in the order of priority. In case the emergency
should be displayed in all cages, the information display control
unit of each cage individually transmits the picture number to its
own display units. When the emergency situation information input
disappears, the flag of the pertinent position in the signal sense
table is erased.
In the above described embodiment, IC cards are used. Instead,
floppy disks (FD) or compact disks (CD) may be used. Since the IC
card is small in size and has no movable portions, errors are not
caused in data transmission. In case the information display
control units are installed in a machine room, it is desirable for
data transmission to use IC cards because dust is present more or
less.
When these devices are used, displayed figures and characters can
be replaced by simply mounting them on the information display
control unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to produce various
data by using the personal computer in the management room. The
burden of the personal computer operator is thus reduced. In
addition, it is possible to quickly respond to the opinion of
passengers.
The information display control unit 1800 has an IC card reader.
However, the boards 1801 and 1802 may be independent devices
mutually coupled by a transmission path. In this case, the
information display control unit corresponds to the board 1801, and
the data input/output unit corresponds to the board 1802.
The light emission devices on the display panel are not restricted
to LEDs, but various devices such as electroluminescence (EL)
devices and liquid crystal devices may be used.
If voices are broadcasted when general information and running
information of the elevator are displayed or are being displayed on
the display panel 2407 shown in FIG. 4, the attention of passengers
is drawn to the display panel and the information transmission
effect of the display is enhanced.
Configuration for broadcasting the voices as well will now be
described in brief.
A connector similar to the connector 1813 of the IC card 22 for
display is disposed on the board 1802 of the information display
control unit 1800 of FIG. 2, and an IC card for storing voice data
is inserted into the connector thus disposed. The memory 1816
contains control program for transmitting a part of voice data
stored on the voice IC card. In the display unit 2400, a voice
synthesis circuit is connected to the bus 2403, and a speaker is
connected to the voice synthesis circuit. The voice data comprise
schedule data and broadcast data. The schedule data are stored into
the memory 1810 of the information display control unit 1800,
whereas the broadcast data are stored into the memory 2405 of the
display unit 2400. The schedule data change depending upon schedule
data change depending upon whether a composition is broadcasted or
arousing tone is broadcasted. The arousing tone is preferably
broadcasted prior to display. In case of the composition broadcast,
it is performed after display or according to the display speed. In
order to attain such harmony between display and broadcast, a
display time counter is provided in the MPU 1809 of the board 1801
shown in FIG. 2. Timing of the broadcast and display is based upon
the counter, and directives of broadcast and display are issued
from the information control unit 1800 to the display unit
2400.
In a variant of the above described configuration for broadcasting
voices, a voice synthesis circuit 1820 is disposed on the board
1802 shown in FIG. 25, and a speaker 2410 is disposed in the
display unit 2400 shown in FIG. 26. The voice synthesis circuit
1820 is connected to the speaker 2410 via a cable 50. An IC card
22a for voices is attached to the board 1802 via a connector 1813a.
Schedule data and broadcast data are stored in the memory 1816 of
the board 1802. Program of the voice broadcast and display is
stored in the memory 1816, and the broadcast and display are
performed in accordance with the program. This has an advantage
that the amount of data transmitted to the display unit 2400 is
reduced.
Since display is given in synchronism with voices, passengers do
not miss seeing the service information and receive sufficient
information service.
The broadcasted composition may have contents similar to those
represented by characters displayed on the display panel 407.
Especially in case of graphic representation, audio output of
language help passengers to understand the meaning of displayed
picture patterns, resulting in significantly enhanced service
effect.
As described heretofore, the present invention makes it possible to
alter easily the display format and quickly perform display
according to the opinion of passengers.
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